Measurement

The system of measurement we use in the United States is called the Customary system. The Customary system is only used in this area and a few others.
There are many conversions for this system and it's counterpart, the metric system.
Here is a key thing to remember about the customary system:if you want to bring the number down, you multiply. But, if you want to make it bigger, you divide.
Here is a picture of where the customary system is used:

metric_system_map.jpg

Here are some common conversions in the customary system:

Measures of Length

1 foot (ft. or ')	=	12 inches (in. or ")
1 yard (yd.)	=	36 inches (in.)
1 yard (yd.)	=	3 feet (ft.)
1 mile (mi.)	=	5,280 feet (ft.)
1 mile (mi.)	=	1,760 yards (yd.)

MEASURES OF CAPACITY

1 cup (c.)	=	8 fluid ounces (fl. oz.)
1 pint (pt.)	=	2 cups (c.)
1 quart (qt.)	=	4 cups (c.)
1 quart (qt.)	=	2 pints (pt.)
1 gallon (gal.)	=	4 quarts (qt.)

MEASURES OF WEIGHT
1 pound (lb.)	=	16 ounces (oz.)
1 ton (T.)	=	2,000 pounds (lb.)

Next, we come to the metric system. The metric system is used almost everywhere except the USA, Sierra Leone, and Burma. The metric system is based on tens, other than the customary system, which is just a bunch of numbers thrown together. The conversions for the metric system are much easier to memorize than the customary system:

METRIC MEASURES

1 kilometer	=	1,000 meters
1 meter	=	100 centimeters
1 centimeter	=	10 millimeters

Also, there are some hints to the prefixes before the measurements: kilo- means 1000. Hecto- means 100. deca- means 10. Meter, gram, liter are the singular units. Deci- means 1/10. Centi-means 1/100. Milli- means 1/1000.



Here are some very helpful links:
http://www.coe.uh.edu/archive/science/science_lessons/scienceles3/metric/metric.html#metricch
http://www.mce.k12tn.net/measurement/quiz1.htm